The overall nature of this study exemplifies one of the many conditions of the medical field and a disturbing reality for the capacity of medical professionals to administer the aid and necessary help for patients going forward. There are many long-term consequences of the theories that are posited and the in effect, the impact on providing proper health care cold be very detrimental if it is in fact that the case that, by and large, African Americans are under-represented as compared to white patients. The article references two independent studies, one conducted by the University of Virginia and Emory University, both of which provide insight into the problematic nature of the discrepancy that is viewed between white and black patients. Largely, this issue could contribute to malpractice and to administration of proper health procedures. Furthermore, the long-term effects of such a phenomenon as a cultural differentiation between medical patients is vast and could be tremendously detrimental to the overall health of the nation itself.
According to this article, a study conducted in 2000 by Emory University found that an Atlanta hospital emergency department had given 74 percent of patients with bone fractures painkillers, as compared to that of 50 percent of black patients. Furthermore, the article cites various papers and articles that find discrepancies between black patients and white patients, such as African-American children were far less likely to receive proper medication to tend to appendicitis, as compared to white children. (Somashekhar, 2016) In many ways, the components of these analyses highlight a trend in medicine that is further discussed within the context of this article: unconscious stereotyping. This is evidenced by 58 percent of the UVA study believing such falsehoods as “black’s skin is thicker than white’.” The overall number of first- and second-year medical students is high, at around 40 percent. (Somashekhar, 2016)
This in itself is an attribute of the medical field which can be alarming if the study, taken as both a whole and as part of a larger national audience and conversation, holds as a representative claim. In essence, the notion that African-American citizens go largely without proper facilitation for their ailments and diseases is not a positive in our culture, especially given the number of studies within this article that are referenced to prove this point to be valid. The overall biological differences that are present between white and black individuals weren’t properly known in many cases, such as those that do exist like the increased risk of heart disease in African-American citizens, as compared to white citizens. Many of the students who were queried were unable to differentiate between the falsehoods and accurate statements. (Somashekhar, 2016)
In general, the long-term consequences of this can be seen as two-fold: the rate of disease and ailments that go untreated or mistreated in African-American communities can rise greatly, as compared to white communities and the rate of painkiller-related addictions and consumption in white citizens could be higher due to the frequency with which they are administered to white citizens. (Somashekhar, 2016) The access to proper health and the ability to be seen and tended to as necessary is something which should be a fundamental aspect of life, and given that unconscious bias exists to tamper with the capacity to do this in our country, there is a glaring attribute of medical practices that needs to be addressed. In a long-term sense, the propagation of these types of beliefs can be crushing for the African-American community and lead to higher rates of disease and injury-related death uniformly. As a result, it is imperative that measures be taken to actively engage medical students and professionals to ensure that they do not have preconceived notions or ideas that could otherwise be harmful to communities and individuals across the nation.
- Somashekhar, Sandhya (2016) “The disturbing reason some African American patients may be undertreated for pain.” The Washington Post.
